Refracted Alliance
by White-tiger-demoness
Summary: Gol and Maia discover Jak and his talent for eco at a much younger age and decide to raise him as their own. *Moved from Plottsel-Breeder account*
1. Chapter 1

Gol and Maia are played by TruthxLiesxMagic. Jak, Daxter and Samos are played by Tiger.

This story has been moved to this account for continuation and ease of access purposes.

Disclaimer: All things Jak and Daxter belong to Naughty Dog. We're just in their games, making our AU.

* * *

The pale sunlight reflected a weak purple light off the pools of Dark Eco that had settled on the beautiful vistas of Sandover Village. The village was as silent as the grave – the villagers had been transported to Rock Village, where they would stay until the village was declared safe again. There were only two people who should still be in the village, and both were stood atop one of the many rocky outcroppings, looking over the near-disaster with a melancholy mood.

"I just don't understand how it could have happened…" Gol murmured, more to himself than his sister, one finger tracing the blue-and-ashen patches of skin on his face almost absent-mindedly. There was simply no explanation as to how the Dark Eco had washed over the village. The nearest place with enough of the substance to cause this was Misty Island – and in a fast boat, that was still a good two or three hours away.

"Someone did this deliberately, didn't they Brother?" Maia asked softly, her silver-streaked golden hair blowing softly in the slight breeze.

"It would seem that way, Sister." The elder Sage began.

Gol was about to say more, when a blinding light burned on the horizon, a white flare so intense it temporarily blinded the two siblings. Both threw their arms in front of their eyes as a strange vehicle flew through a mammoth ring forged from Precurian metal, the sheer amount of Light Eco radiating from the artifact enough to make them feel as if fire was coursing through their veins, even at this distance. The light dimmed slightly – just enough for Gol to squint at the vehicle, which was coming to a hasty landing right in the middle of a large pool of Dark Eco. Gol cursed under his breath, as crimson eyes followed the path of the vehicle. There was nothing either of the siblings could do except watch…

Dark eco shimmered and shined as it sat in the various pools around the village, the pools looking like a giant maw about to devour any thing that fell in. The rift rider shot out of the rift ring, about to crash right into the Dark Eco...

Samos quickly grabbed Jak and jumped just before the rift rider crashed into the eco. It landed with a splash, and sunk. The eco gurgled and bubbled in satisfaction as it enjoyed it's new meal, little wisps of eco spiraled and corkscrewed over the vehicle as it went down, down, down, into the primordial dark, never to be seen again.

As for Samos and Jak? Their landing was a rough one, such jumps were not meant for old men or little kids. With an oof of pain, both crashed into a bush, the leafy fronds softening the blow.

"Ma...Jak, are you alright?

"Jak?"

A silent nod from the shaken child was the only reply.

Gol and Maia exchanged a brief look, before making their way as quickly as possible down to where the old man and the young child with him had fallen. The younger sibling reached them first, and, brushing blonde hair out of her eyes, quickly surmised that there would be no damage other than perhaps a couple of bruises. Maia glanced down at the child and her eyes stayed there, taking in his stance, huddling slightly towards the old man - up close Maia saw that his skin was tinted a bright green, a possible sign of total Green saturation - and the child's cerulean eyes gazed up at her with a little fear but also an innocent trust. Gol spoke behind her, and Maia was snapped out of her off reviere.

"Are you all right? You didn't hit the Eco did you?"

Maia took a half-step backwards, giving her brother room to take charge, but also added her own question.

"And if you don't mind me asking, what in the name of the Precursors just happened?"

Samos gently set young Mar on his feet before turning to address the two people.

" We're fine thank you, and as for what happened...it's a long story." If he were in fact in the correct time era, judging from the surrounding eco pools this was just after the First Disaster! Samos was fascinated that of all the time era's he could have gone too this is where they had ended up. Jak and his older self had said that the time Haven's Hero had grown up was a safe and happy time...what if the coordinates were off somehow?

Glancing down at the child huddled next to him, he made a resolution. If this time era was not safe, then he with all of his newly found sagely might would make it so.

"If you don't mind me asking in return, where exactly are we?"

Gol frowned, not exactly happy with the brief answer he had received, but if it was to be a game of quid-pro-quo, so be it... Yet even as that thought crossed his mind, the old man's own question hit Gol fully, deepening his frown with confusion. How in the name of the Precursors could they not recognize Sandover, drenched in Eco though it was? For the love of Eco, there were only half a dozen villages still standing in known Precuria!

"You are in Sandover Village." The Sage answered carefully. "Although it would seem you have arrived at a bad time." He gestured vaguely to the pools of Dark Eco splattered around.

Maia could see her brother was frustrated by the vague answers they had received, and felt the same way herself somewhat, but the old man's possible saturation meant he would be an invaluable asset to the rescue process. So many people who were pulled alive from the Dark Eco quickly perished simply because the healers were not adept enough to treat their wounds.

"It seems we both have questions we would dearly like answers to, but right now lives are at stake. Please, if you are a Green saturate... people are dying, dozens by the day." It had been hundreds in the early days of the disaster, but now the population didn't have hundreds to die. "Help us, and we will give you the answers to any questions you have."

Sandover!? This place was Sandover? Hold on a moment...

"There are survivors?! By the Precursors why didn't you say so! M..Jak come on child." The sage looked down only to discover that Jak was no longer there.

* * *

Daxter was in the empty hut on the hill, Sobbing his little eyes out. His parents had died only days before in the dark eco flood. Well, were probably dead anyway. the last he has seen of either of them was his mother charging into the sticky dark Eco that had literally melted many of the villagers, whose screams he could still hear faintly. The small red head had wandered into the village that morning hoping to find his mother in fact, even though she had fiercely told him to remain on the cliffs that surrounded Sandy beach.

Having found nothing at all that resembled the living in the village, Daxter had wearily made his way to the hut on the hill: the highest (thus safest) place in the village. He knew that the survivors had all gone away somewhere, and that he should probably be with them, but he was three years old, cold, tired, hungry and mourning his parents.

Not like anyone else would.

He didn't understand very well why the other villagers didn't like his parents, only that it had something to do with the sticky black ooze that currently laid in pools around the Village.

With a sniffle, he looked up when a bright light flared out side. Scrambling to the door Daxter watched with a weary curiosity as something shot out of the bright light and crashed landed in the village. Wiping his nose on a sleeve the young boy perked up as he saw two people emerge unharmed from the wreck. One of them was a small child that looked to be about his age, the other was...green? Daxter tilted his head in confusion as two more people floated ( Floated! They must be Sages!) down to the wreckage.

Curiosity being a strong motivator in young children, Daxter silently crept down to their location. Moving silently around the puddles of eco the red head eventually came to a half standing wall and peeked cautiously around it at the strangers. The sages were talking to the funny green man about something boring so Daxter turned his attention to the child with them. The other child appeared to be a boy with unnaturally bright blue eyes, and looked just a bored as he did.

As Daxter watched the strange newcomers silently from his hiding place the bright eyed boy noticed him. The boy waved at him happily, as if asking him to come over to the rest of them. Daxter's response was to duck behind the house and hope the other boy forgot he had saw him. Moments later the blue eyed boy was standing in front of him poking him in the head.

"nnn, go away! You don't want to be near me, I'm dangerous!"

The boy tilted his head curiously. ~You don't look dangerous~

" Well I am! Every one says so..."

~Why would they say that?~

"I-I don't know, Because the icky black stuff doesn't hurt?"

~'?~

"That stuff" Daxter replied to the silent question by pointing to a nearby puddle of dark eco. The other boy wandered over to it with a curious look on his face. The boy made a face at his reflection in the liquid mass, before reaching a hand down to touch the substance. Daxter's eyes widened as he lept to his feet to stop the other boy.

" Hey don't touch it!" Unfortunately Daxter was no more graceful then than he would be later in life, and tripped. Sending them both into the stinging substance with a splash. The pool was no more then a scant inch deep, but they were both covered in it.

Gol heard a small splash in the sudden silence that had fallen after they had realized the small boy who had been with the Green saturate had disappeared. Glancing around for the source of the noise, the Sage's gaze alighted upon two youngsters - one of them the boy - in a shallow pool of Dark Eco... apparently unharmed. Gol blinked several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things and then tapped Maia on the shoulder indicating the scene.

"Interesting, isn't it?" He murmured in response to her shocked expression. Maia nodded distractedly, her eyes narrowing as she examined the boys, who were covered in the Eco, but simply seemed to be play-wrestling, or whatever it was little boys did.

"It makes no sense, brother." She replied. "They should be dead, covered in that much Dark Eco..."

And then, like a ray of enlightenment, the answer occured to both siblings simultaneously.

"Eco resilience!"

Jak wriggled uncomfortably in his now eco soaked cloths, Daxter voice both their thoughts.

"Oowww it stings almost as much a whumpbee bite!" Noticing the three adults staring at them he blinked and tugged on his new friends arm, saying the first thing that came to his mind to break the tense silence.

"lookit! he's green"

~Odd isn't it? He's nicer then the other one at least. The older one was all grouchy.~

"yeesh, two green guys? I'm glad we got the less grouchy one then." Daxter exclaimed eying Samos, while Jak just giggled.

* * *

Samos felt his heart hit his feet only to leap right back into his throat when he saw where Jak had gone. Once he was certain the boy was unharmed, a pang of sadness for the future the boy's channeling capability would bring forced a solemn expression onto his face. Only to have it change to annoyance at the other child's seemingly random exclamation. It would seem they had found Daxter if anything his older self had told him held true.

When Dark energy began to crackle lightly around Jak, Samos felt as though he knew how his older self had gotten to look so...old.

* * *

Jak gave a puzzled look to his now eco free cloths.

It evaporated!

"huuuuh? how come mines not doing that, this stuff stings yanno!" Daxter whined shaking himself.

~I don't know, maybe you're not doing it right.~ Daxter gave him a skeptical look.

"What do ya mean I'm doing it wrong? it's supposed to happen by it's self."

Throwing a glance at the strange man, and seeing he was not about to step in, Gol approached the boys carefully. Already his brain was working overtime on this new development, and he was itching to get back home so he could record all this in his research journal. For now, however... He crouched down and smiled, though it came out as more of a smirk.

"Hello. What are you doing?"

~Playing!~

Jak smiled up at the man, unfazed. Daxter on the other hand squeaked and back peddled, further into the eco. Of course this lead to more burning which lead to him scrambling out of the pool all together. Samos sighed.

"Jak m'boy, don't play in the eco. It's bad for you." He spared a glance at Daxter "I could say the same for you! Where are your parents young man?" Daxter wilted, then glared at him.

"Well, I don't see your parents anywhere, you algae rip off!" he snapped. The truth was, he didn't know where they were either. Father had run off a couple days ago in the early morning towards the Forbidden Jungle. He had seemed worried about something, and had urged his mother to take him go to the highest point on sentinel beach and stay there.

She had of course obeyed her husband, urging people in the village to come with her along the way. In the end they had been more or less chased out of the village by angry people, calling them hateful words that Daxter really didn't understand. Not long after they had gotten situated on one of the cliffs had a wave of Dark eco come from the Jungle, swallowing the village whole.

Daxter could still hear the screams.

Mother had left him on the cliffs then, begging him not to leave until she came back for him. She had plowed fearlessly through the eco though each step seemed to pain her. That was the last he saw of her. Eventually Daxter had made his own way back, once the majority of the eco had resided.

"Now young man, don't take that tone with me! If you know of any survivors, people immune to the eco like you, you must tell us immediately." Samos tried with a firm, but gentler tone.

Maia watched her brother interact with the blonde child, wondering what he was up to. It was just like Gol to focus on something to the exclusion of all else when said thing caught his eye. Resigned to playind peacekeeper, she approached the redheaded child and the old man.

"Now, now, don't be so harsh on him. The poor boy probably lost his family." Maia purred. "What's your name, little one?"

Daxter stuck his tongue out at the green man when Maia interfered.

"I'm Daxter! of course only such a pretty lady like you could have my name just for the asking."

Samos face palmed. Yep, this was Daxter.

"Well thank you, Daxter." Maia gave a tinkling laugh. "So why were you here all alone?"

Daxter's cheeky smile fell.

"I'm not really 'spose ta be here, Mommy told me to stay up in the cliffs until she came back...but she didn't come back."

Samos felt a pang of pity for the boy, annoying future rat or not, he was still just a child.

"Perhaps she's with the other survivors, come with us, we'll take you to them." Samos offered gently. Daxter shook his head and backed away again.

"Uhuh, Mommy wouldn't be with them, they don't like us. She'd be here, an 'ahm gonna wait here for her."

Samos wasn't a very patient man, but precursors willing he was trying.

"Now Daxter, it's not safe here. Let us take you and Jak to the other survivors, then Gol and Maia and I will come back and look for your mother later. I'm sure she's fine, and would want you to be somewhere safe." Samos had often found that when dealing with a particularly bull headed recruit, the best way to get through to them was to repeat the point over and over again until they got it. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for small children.

Was the funny green man deaf or something? Daxter narrowed his eyes.

"ya don't get it, the other villagers don't like me. I'm safer here waiting for mommy."

Gol ignored the banter between the redheaded child and the Green saturate. The other child, the one who had appeared... that was who he was interested in. He marvelled at how well the boy was able to communicate without language.

"Playing, eh?" He muttered, and then concentrated for a moment, drawing up a globe of Dark Eco and suspending it before the boy. "Do you like this?"

~Mweh, it's okay. It's not my favorite eco though.~

Jak reached out in wonder to the small orb though. He had only seen eco channeled once, and that was by the Dark friendly man. It wasn't nearly as calm as this was, the others channeling had been fierce and animalistic.

~can I hold it?~

"Really? It's my favorite." Gol replied with a small chuckle. "My specialty, in fact."

He considered the boy's request for a few moments. He obviously didn't understand how Gol himself was 'holding' the Eco, as it were - perfectly understandable at his young age - but Gol did have another idea. He dispersed the large ball, keeping only a globule that was no bigger than an average-sized pebble.

"See if you can move this." He said. He didn't expect the boy to actually be able to do it, but all the same he kept the barest mental grip on the Eco so there would be little to no resistance. Call it an experiment. "Concentrate on it and will it to move."

Jak concentrated on the small ball of eco, and to his disappointment nothing happened. Perhaps he had to tell it to do something...give it an incentive. Concentrating on the Orb again Jak sort of pushed at it with his mind. Startled, Jak jumped a bit before reaching out again and nudging the small ball with his mind.

It wiggled.

Jak clapped his hands and giggled in delight, this was just like eco training with daddy!

Gol grinned, revealing his slightly pointed teeth, as he watched the small ball of Eco move slightly. Really, it had been a suggestion out of itnerest, and he'd never expected the boy to actually be capable of such an act. He was so young, yet he already had control over Eco many new apprentices - children perhaps twice his age - would give their arm for.

"Excellent!" The Sage exclaimed, quite a bit louder than he'd meant to. Slowly, Gol turned to glance at his sister and the Green Saturate, only to find Maia wearing her best exasperated expression, and the saturate...

Oh dear.

Gol sighed inwardly in relief, thankful that the ongoing argument with the small redheaded child was proving enough of a distraction that his little experiment had gone unnoticed. And what a successful experiment it had been! Surely nobody could rightly object to him taking the child on as an apprentice when he was a little older? It would be a crime to keep such a natural from studying Dark Eco, especially as he and Maia needed all the help they could get in terms of research. They had no option but to carry experiments out on themselves, but the results weren't entirely reliable, as they were siblings, and so any similarity in reactions could be down to that...

Anyway, that was for mulling over later, and of course he would have to discuss it with Maia, though the Precursors knew how much she longed for children around her, whether they were her own or an apprentice. Gol supposed it was a womanly thing. For now, however, he winked at the boy and went to see if he could aid Maia in her negotiations.

* * *

Maia too was beginning to lose patience with the child. Surely even young children knew that Dark Eco was dangerous, and it was better to put up with a little dislike than to end up with Eco poisoning or worse? True, he did not seem to be suffering any ill effects, but she herself had seen many cases where the individual could live for years without realising they were ill. Still, her maternal nature helped her to put on a comforting smile.

"Now, Daxter, I'm sure your mother would want you to be safe. What would she say if she knew you were staying here, where it was so dangerous? Go back with the other villagers for now, and as soon as my brother and I have finished our work here I will come and find you. All right?" Maia patted the boy's head as if the matter was already settled. "You'll do that for me, won't you? And you'll have that other little boy - Jak? - to keep you company."

Maia was aware of her brother radiating amusement beside her, and she shot him a sidewards glance of irritation, to which she of course only received an innocent smile. Really, Gol was lucky she loved him so, or she might not put up with him sometimes...

Daxter shuffled his feet and his his arms behind his back. Then he looked at Jak, who had also fallen into the dark eco and not become a screaming puddle of elf.

"Yer gonna go with 'em, ain't ya?"

Jak shrugged,

~Don't see why not, this place isn't very interesting.~

"Well then I gots to go with you! To protect you from th' other villagers, they'll get angry when they find out the dark stuff don't hurt ya." Daxter crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air. " They wont think twice about throwing stuff at 'cha if I'M there." He puffed with false bravado. Truth was he was terrified of going, especially showing up in his dark-eco soaked cloths.

"But uh" Daxter faltered a bit, "Do ya think I could get a change of clothes first? These kinda sting..."

Jak tilted his head at his new friend, he still wasn't sure what all the fuss about dark eco was. It was everywhere in Haven. It was used to to power homes, Zoomers, factories, and even as currency by Nobles. He wasn't quite sure what they bought with it but his papa had mentioned something about "Waste-lenders" when he had asked once. Go figure who would want to lend out waste, or even take it for that reason.

~Just make it go away like I did~ He 'said' in response to Daxter's clothing problem.

"That'd be just dandy If I knew HOW you did it." The red head huffed at him.

~Well uh... ~

Jak wasn't so sure himself.

Great, not only did he have to deal with the annoying rat MUCH sooner then he'd expected it seems the child was insane to boot. Though it did seem that Daxter was talking to Jak rather then himself. The Green sage pondered this for a moment, then dismissed it. Jak wasn't responding that he could see so the red haired waif must be going eco mad. Just because he hadn't been physically affected by the eco covering him didn't mean his mental health was sound.

"As good as that would be for your smell, if there's anything left worth wearing down here it's also going to be covered in eco." Samos told him gruffly "if anything clean DID escape the floods it's going to be with the other survivors, now come on! We're wasting time here."

Maia was having similar thoughts to Samos, and wondered in an undertone to her brother whether the boy's mind had already been affected by the Eco. He hadn't seemed the brightest Yakkow in the herd from the start.

Gol chuckled softly as his sister's suggestion. So like her to say such a thing, and yet he couldn't blame her - he himself would probably have assumed the same if he had not already noticed Jak's odd method of communicating.

"Can't you see, sister?" he explained softly. "The boy speaks without speaking. I think he must be mute. It's like he communicates with his body. Try to work it out."

Maia rolled her eyes at Gol's suggestion - so like him to constantly urge her to work things out for herself. Nevertheless, she watched the two boys and after a little while believed she was beginning to work it out.

"I think I see..." Maia tilted her head a little and squinted, as she always did when she was thinking hard. "Yes, I think I have it."

Gol smiled his approval, though his mind was already trying to tackle the problem he was now faced with. He didn't want to let Jak out of his sight. The boy was so special, and Gol was itching to test his affinity for Dark Eco properly, but something told him that the Green saturate would not take kindly to such a suggestion. On the other hand, he couldn't just abandon his duty here...

Luckily for him, Maia solved his problem without realising it when she turned back to Samos with a smile.

"I agree. The sooner the three of you are with the other survivors, the better. I'll show you the way; it's too dangerous for you to wander around yourselves." Maia replied smoothly, already walking towards the safe route that she and Gol had crafted. She too wanted to learn more about the odd little mute boy. Gol, she could tell, had already taken an interest in him, which would mean Makers knew what for them. Whenever Gol got an idea into his head, he could be as stubborn as a Yakkow about going through with it.

The commute to where the survivors was didn't take long and it took even less time for Samos to get to work on the wounded.

"Stay close now Jak, you too Daxter, and you might just learn something." His older self had warned him that Jak's younger self was an universal channeler. Daxter as far as he knew had no eco ability what so ever (other then a strong immunity to dark eco of course) but seeing as the boy was going to be with them a LONG time he may as well keep an eye on him.

The closest victim was unconscious and being tended to by what had to be his wife. The women was carelessly slopping green eco onto his wounds and looked startled when he pushed her aside.

"You're just wasting it like that! For heavens sake woman do you want to heal him or give him eco poisoning?" Carefully guiding the green substance into the necessary areas to heal the man, and absorbing the extra, he noticed Jak peering curiously into the vat of green eco. The Green Sage was content to let the boys look until he saw Jak carefully lifting a channeled ball of it out.

"Don't play with that, Jak, it looks like these people are going to need every bit of it." The women choose that moment to notice Daxter.

Jak trailed somberly after Samos, the "safe area" was filled with the dying and their screams. It wasn't a fun place at all! His new friend seemed to share his sentiment, sticking closely to Jak. So close bits of eco crackled into him from the red head's shirt.

~Gah, that's unpleasant!~

"how do ya think I feel, I'm wearin' the stuff!" Daxter whispered back. Feeling sympathetic to the boy's pain, Jak lead him over to the jar of green eco.

Here, some of this will help. I know because my momma put some on my knee when I scratched it once and the scratch went away like magic! Still keeping his voice lowered, Daxter peered into the green liquid with him.

"But how are we gonna get it out? You can't hold th' stuff." Jak pondered that for a moment before remembering the ball of eco that the nice dark man had shown him earlier. Focusing on the substance and what he wanted it to do, Jak pulled with his mind. To his delight and his new friends amazement it worked.

"Wow!"

This was so cool, Jak could make the eco do what he wanted! Daxter wondered if he could do the same and reached into the vat.

"What is HE doing here?!" The woman who had been with the downed man was pointing and shrieking at him. "Don't let him in the eco, he'll contaminate it!"

Shrinking back to hide behind Jak, Daxter cursed his luck. He KNEW this would happen...

Maia, having escorted Samos and the children to Rock Village, had just been about to hurry back to her brother and continue salvaging Sandover as best they could when she heard the woman's exclamation. Her first thought, considering the treatment the siblings had suffered despite being the only ones who could do anything about the disaster that had struck the contaminated village, was that Gol had followed her for some reason, and his presence had sparked the outcry. When she marched over ready to defend her brother, however, the scene before her was not at all what she had been expecting.

The blonde's first thought was why Daxter would be considered able to contaminate the Green Eco. Was it because he had just been brought here, and had not yet been examined for any sort of Eco poisoning? If so, that was ridiculous, and showed just how little these provincial boneheads understood Dark Eco.

"Now, now," Maia chided, her voice dangerously soft. "I'm sure there's no need for that fuss."

She felt some small pleasure at how the woman shrank back at her tone, and probably also at her degraded appearance. Truly, only she and Gol could see the beauty in the way their skin and hair were changing. With the woman now suitably cowering, she turned to the children.

"Causing trouble already, are we?" It was more teasing that beration, enhanced by the amused smile on Maia's face. "Perhaps it would be better if you left Samos to his work." Looking at the two properly, she took in their clothes, covered in Dark Eco, and even as a channeller, Maia knew that to spend an extended amount of time coated in Dark Eco was unpleasant. "Why don't we get you both some new clothes, for a start?"

It struck Maia that it might be better to give someone else the task, and hurry back to Sandover, but... Gol was capable of holding up by himself for a little while, and after that foolish woman's reaction, she dreaded to think what would happen if someone else was put in charge of the mischievous twosome.

Jak followed with a glance back at Samos. He was sure he was safe with this nice lady, but he was supposed to stay with Samos. Oh well, they weren't going far after all. The journey through the camp was short, but Jak wasn't to sure he liked the looks some of the villagers were giving them. He was tough as a Metal Head, his papa said so, but he held onto Maia's hand anyway.

Just to reassure her she was safe too.

Daxter walked closer to Maia's side then he would admit later as she herded he and Jak along, but the other villagers didn't seem to pay him much mind with her here. She lead them to a small tent like structure and asked the woman attending if there was anything clean in his size. The woman eyed him wearily but ushered them inside anyway. Inside was another woman whom Daxter didn't recognize though he reckoned she was a volunteer from another village.

"Oh good Precursors!" The unfamiliar woman gasped at the sight of him, causes Daxter to shrink further into Maia's side." Get those clothes off him quick! The poor dear is covered in that nasty stuff, Barilda dear get the water so we can wash him off." She ordered the village woman.

In a flurry of activity Daxter had his cloths striped from him and tossed into a fire out side, then doused in luke warm water before being stuffed into some clean, dry clothes that were a bit too big for him. The unfamiliar woman gave Jak an once over before deciding that he was eco free and not in any danger as well.

* * *

Samos was just as shocked at the woman as Jak was and even though he knew how much a pain in the ass Daxter was going to be when he grew up, he was still just a child. After Maia had guided the two children away Samos fixed her with a hard look.

"I don't know what that was about, but you'd be wise not to try it again! What could possibly posses you to call a child a monster?" The woman, still cowed by Maia's temper though the female sage was already herding the children away, answered lowly but fiercely.

"Sage, if that's what you are, that child is the spawn of two Dark Eco channelers. They've been plaguing our village for years and it's plain as the eco he was covered in that he's just as dark and twisted as them!" Samos' eyes narrowed further.

"From what I've heard, if it weren't for Dark Eco channelers you wouldn't be alive to accuse them right now." The woman recoiled as if struck but sprung back violently.

"If it weren't for those freaks we wouldn't be in this mess to start with! Jhoan, that thing's" she waved wildly in the direction Maia had taken the children" father is the one who started the flood! We all saw him going into the jungle just before the floods started, and saw his hussy as she and her spawn went to wait somewhere safe while the rest of us died!" The woman was nearly frothing with rage when a new voice called out.

"Now see here! Jhoan and his wife were good people and you seem to have forgotten that both Jhoan and Marla urged us into the hills with them." The man that had spoken was limping towards them, leaning heavily on a walking stick. "And I dare say there wouldn't be hardly any survivors if a few of us hadn't taken heed! Certainly not to mention the immense help that the Dark sage and his sister have been to us. As this Sage says, where would you be without those Dark eco channelers?" The man nodded to Samos who inclined his head in return.

The woman grasped the air as if strangling it before turning on heel and stalking off, leaving the unconscious man that Samos had been tending to and she before. The man who had spoken sighed as he watcher her go before turning back to Samos.

"Dreadfully sorry you had to see that but I'm afraid ever since the floods began most folks have that opinion. Ah, but where are my manners! My name is John and I welcome you, Sage of Green Eco, to Sandover. Or what's left of it at least." Then man, John, held out his hand. Samos shook it firmly.

"A pleasure John, I am called Samos. It's refreshing to find someone who doesn't share the rest of the worlds hatred for Dark channelers." The man chuckled humorlessly.

"I was an Explorer in my youth, and I saw and learned many things in my travels. As you your self know, Channelers of any type are hardly the most dangerous thing in this world. Ah but as we stand here chatting people are dying. This way chap if you would, there's a woman who has lost her arm..."


	2. Chapter 2

Hey there friends. Here's a new chapter, much shorter than the last as I'm writing this on my own now.

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Night had fallen when Gol decided he had done all he could for the village for now. He could have kept working in all honesty but he had not heard from Maia for several hours now. She had never returned from the temporary camp and he was beginning to get worried. True, she was a powerful channeler in her own right, but if the villagers had decided to form a mob...

Well such thoughts were best put aside unless they drove him to mindless paranoia.

Upon arriving back at the camp area Gol was relieved to find it didn't _look_ like a mob had been through at least. A green glow alerted him to the presence of the Green Sage from earlier and the dark eco sage drifted towards it.

"Samos." He greeted.

"Gol." Returned the sage, looking exhausted. He had probably been healing the wounded non-stop since his arrival.

"I was wondering if you had seen Maia. She never returned after bringing you and the children here and I grow concerned." Samos sighed and became even more weary looking, if that were possible.

"She's with the boys. People are frightened and looking for easy targets to blame...such as small boys with eco tolerance." Gol felt his own mood somber. He had lost several apprentices over the years to ignorant elves acting out of fear and rage. Those apprentices had also been able to defend themselves, two young boys? Gol could see why his sister had stayed. People would be much more reluctant to face an adult with mature eco powers.

"I believe I know where to find her then. Get some rest my friend, you cannot help anyone if you work yourself into exhaustion." Gol sighed, placing a hand on the shorter sages shoulder.

"I know, but still there are so many who need help..." Samos trailed off, looking at the not far off row of covered bodies who were now_ beyond_ help. No more words were needed, Gol understood. With a brief squeeze to the shoulder he was holding for support and reassurance the Dark Sage briskly made his way to the small tent he and Maia had claimed for themselves to be closer to the disaster site.

Inside the tent Maia was sitting next to a softly snoring blanket lump that contained the two young boys. She was reading one of the reference texts, one of the very few on dark eco that even existed, when he entered.

"Maia." Gol called softly so as not to wake the children. She looked up from her book with a tired smile and moved to join him near the tents entrance.

"Brother, I'm sorry I did not return but..." She whispered, glancing back at the sleeping duo.

"I understand." Gol nodded. "I spoke with the green sage before coming here."

"I tried to leave at first, but the looks those people were giving Daxter...the red head." She clarified. " And then when Jak insisted on staying with him, and the whispers...I just couldn't leave them. I feared that if I did they would not be here when I returned." She said sadly.

"But brother, while we had time alone here in this tent I tested Jak's channeling abilities further. He's not just a dark channeler...but a universal!" Maia whispered with a bit of excitement. "He can't do more than direct eco, but he learns so quickly. Daxter on the other hand seems to be completely immune to dark eco. I was reluctant to test that very far but from what I did learn...he could be the key to making Dark eco harmless!"

Gol was temporarily shocked into silence at the proclamation. The possibilities of such a thing existing as a "cure" to dark eco would be the ultimate culmination of all of their work, and the work of countless dark eco sages before them. The be able to render the dangerous, volatile substance harmless would be- nothing short of the greatest discovery since the precursors walked the planet!

"They're...they're just children. Babies practically." He tried to rationalize. He'd be shocked if either of them was older than four.

"And we would have all of their formative years to train them, Jak especially. You have been looking for a new apprentice." Maia reminded him.

"Daxter seems to be orphaned, from what he said, but Samos seems to be Jak's guardian at the moment. Would he even agree to such an endeavor as to train the boy in the use of Dark eco?"

"Who..." Maia stopped herself to draw a nervous breath. "Who said we had to _ask_?"

"_Maia!_" Gol hissed, barely remembering to keep himself at a whisper. "Are you suggesting we KIDNAP the boy?!"

"I-" She hesitated. "Yes. Yes I am. Think about it Gol! These boys could be the key to everything! The only chance we'll ever have to make Dark eco into something _good_. Can we really chance that the sage will say no, or that he will want to dictate what we teach? Can we let Daxter," She gestured to the sleeping boys with a sharp motion, "Grow up surrounded by hate for something he has no control over? With the chance that he may not live long enough in that situation TO grow up?!" She said passionately.

"But to kidnap them...surely the sage will look for them." Gol tried to protest, though he found himself agreeing with her.

"Not if he doesn't know they're still alive."

"What...would you be suggesting dear sister?"

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Morning dawned on the weary camp of survivors, many huddled together for comfort as the pyre of dark eco tainted corpses began to burn. In a quiet corner of the camp Samos the Sage of Green Eco slept on, exhausted from the day before. Standing over the sage with a heavy heart for what he was about to do was Gol.

"Samos." He sighed, steeling his nerves a shaking his fellow sage awake. "Samos, wake up. Please."

"Ughh" Samos groaned sleepily. "Unless someone is on fire please let me sleep." Gol felt a sharp pang of anxiety stab through him at the words, but pressed onward.

"Samos, it's about Jak. Please wake up."

"Jak?" Said Samos, struggling awake and into a sitting position. "What happened, is he alright?" The green sages gaze was filled with such genuine concern that Gol wanted to back out right there, to tell the sage that Jak was fine and well. 'This is for the greater good.' The dark sage told himself.

"I have...bad news. The boy's exposure to dark eco yesterday was...too much. Maia stayed with them through the night trying to ease their pain but sadly both boys...did not make it." Gol finished in a whisper, averting his gaze to where the pyre burned.

"_No_." Samos breathed, realization dawning. "That- that can't be! He should be fine, he channeled it! He was _fine_." Argued the sage, pale complexion regaining color.

"Yes, at first it seemed that way. If we had noticed sooner that not everything was as it seemed, or perhaps if the boy had been older...there was just too much eco for him to process." Gol let grief overtake his face for the lies he was telling. To take a child from someone just to further their own goals, no mater how noble...perhaps Dark eco HAD begun to twist his sister and he in more ways than just their appearance.

"I...leave me. Please." Samos said, shoulders slumping and voice cracking. He couldn't believe he had failed. Only yesterday he had watched as Jak defeated the metal head leader, Kor, and within twenty-four hours his own negligence had doomed the world forever. Gol nodded in solemn silence and left the sage to his mourning, eager to be away from the living reminder of the lies and deceit that had just taken place.

Maia had taken the boys through the teleporter ring to their secluded home far to the north almost immediately after their conversation. She returned with two hiphog carcasses bundled tightly and lightly stained with dark eco. When the two child size bundles were presented to the pyre that morning no one had looked further.

The two sages would be returning to their home soon, as their was little more they could do for the devastated villagers and their presence was quickly becoming unwelcome now that the danger had passed.

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"My mommy always says that if you're sad, you should listen to th' plants for wis'om and guide...guide'nce." Samos looked through tear blurred vision at the little girl who had placed a single wilted flower on his lap. She was even younger than Jak had been, and didn't seem to have quite mastered speech yet. Green eyes stared at him from under a messy mop of blue-green hair.

"That is sound advice." He said, taking a breath to steady himself. "And where is your mommy?"

"In the fire with daddy." Samos felt his heart breaking all over again. This child was so young she didn't even really understand what was happening.

"What is your name, little one?"

"Keira."


End file.
